Reporting from Hualien, Taiwan

I had the privilege this past week to be in Taiwan when our brothers and sisters at Gracepoint Fellowship Church - Hsinchu had their first multiple-day outing to Hualien (花連).  It was a great time of bonding between the team members and the students, and I just feel very blessed and privileged that I was able to join them in that time of bonding and appreciating the beauty of God's creation.

Most of us slept over in different apartments in Hsinchu on Wednesday night because we had an early departure time on Thursday morning in order to beat traffic and make it to the train station to catch our early morning train.  Then we were in for a nice long train ride to Hualien.  We passed the time on the train by doing our DT, sleeping, playing cards, and watching the scenery pass us by.  Finally, we arrived in Hualien, caught our bus, and went straight to Taroko National Park, which is one of six national parks in Taiwan.  And let me tell you, it was a place full of breathtaking beauty.  Right when we got to the park, we went straight to a trail called the Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑步道) and hiked about 4.4 kilometers into the park.  Along the way, we had an incredible lunch of rice and meat wrapped in seafood, and we had it in an incredible location - right next to a running river of cold, clear, blue water.  And of course, because of the hot weather, we all went wading into that river.  It wasn't too long until the water fights started, with brothers Eugene Peng and James Chao getting soaked by some sneaky attacks.

After that, we visited one of the Aborigine culture centers, and then we went back to our hotel to wash up, and then we went to dinner - some of the most memorable dishes for me were the wild chicken, bamboo shoots, and fried squid.  After dinner, we met in one of the hotel rooms to have Bible study, and afterwards we all took the Myers-Briggs personality test and hear about each of our corresponding personality types and try to see if they really match with who we are.

The next day, we woke up bright and early for breakfast and DT, and then we set out again for Toroko - we started the day at the Swallow's mouth - a breathtaking canyon named because of the abundance of swallows flying there.  The next stop was the Tunnel of Nine Turns - at each turn we saw some incredible vistas and waterfalls.  After lunch and an entertaining performance by the former Joyland teachers serving on the Taiwan team (James and Jessica Chao and Chi and Tiffany Su), we headed out again, this time for the Cave of the Waterfall Curtain.  Hiking through those dark cool caves provided a welcome relief from the summer Taiwan heat, and the final cave was quite an experience with a mountain river running through it and sheets of water pouring from the ceiling.

After that, we bid Toroko farewell and headed into Hualien City.  We had a three part dinner at a famous dumpling shop, a famous mochi shop, and one of the Hualien night markets.  After dinner, we headed to another night market for a night of fun.  It was like a carnival, and we tried our hands at a series of games like archery and baseball pitching.  One of the highlights of that time was when we had a USA vs. Taiwan marksmanship challenge - using airsoft guns and balloons.  The end result was a tie score of nine hits out of ten attempts, although it also must be said that Joyce Yen, representing the USA, hit all of her targets in decidedly less time.  Finally, we ended our night out with a stroll on the beach before heading to our hotel, where we had charted out our life journeys and got to share about several high and low points of our lives which have really shaped how we are today.

The next day was our third and final day in Hualien.  After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we headed to a nearby lake for a fun time of paddle boating.  As people were debating what to leave in the bus and what to take with them, the manager of the boat rental service assured us that if we were just looking to paddle and enjoy the water, then we were in no danger of getting wet.  However, once we paddled about fifty meters away from the shore, it became obvious that staying dry was not going to be an option.  Thus, the war on the water began.  The highlight of that time had to be when some of us decided to unite to chase down the stragglers who had wandered off, thinking that they could remain dry.  Some people decided to grab onto each others boats and link them, evoking images of the battle of Chi Bi (from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms).  I'm sure that sight of swan and dragon headed boats advancing on the water was one that struck fear to many people.

Finally, we ended our time with a BBQ at the Seven Star Lake, a beautiful beach by the ocean, and a game of Football Plus (足球之加) - which is the name we came up for Ultimate Football (a variation on Ultimate Frisbee) for use here in Taiwan.

Anyways, that's the news from Hualien, Taiwan, where the food is great, the vistas are awesome, and where the members Koinonia - Hsinchu had a wonderful time.